"I agree. Just be careful dealing with him," said Hitler. "Never trust Americans. Too idealistic."

"Yes, mein Fhrer."

"What of Siebenundzwanzig?"

"His training goes very well. Ludwig reports that he is an excellent student. He learns quickly. Incidentally, I am trying something-it is a bit devious."

"Of course," Hitler leered. "What else would I expect from you?"

"I have introduced another student in the training course with Swan. Swan is not aware of this, of course, but the man will be his replacement if there should be an accident or if he gets caught. Swan thinks the new man is training for a totally different assignment. It is a good opportunity to compare them."

"I needn't tell you to be cautious in dealing with Twenty-seven," Hitler said, his face hardening into stern lines again. "He is a great catch but we could lose him if he becomes disillusioned-or if he thinks we do not have complete faith in him."

"I will keep that in mind, mein Fhrer. I am going down to visit the camp in person."

"Very good. I will be anxious to hear your report. Have you worked out the details of the operation?"

"I'll be ready when he is."

"Excellent. I'm proud of you, Willie."

"Thank you, mein Fhrer. "

"And, Willie, don't forget," He held up a single finger. "The Black Lily."

"Yes, mein Fhrer. Heil Hitler. "

"Heil Hitler. "

SEVENTEEN.

Swan plunged down the steep side of the mountain, the wind thundering in his ears. He was in total control of his downward pitch, his course so steep it was almost like leaping off a cliff. He ignored the danger of the drop run just as he ignored the beauty of the Alps surrounding him and the pain of the effort in calf, thigh and shoulder. He was totally concentrated, his eyes focused one hundred feet in front of him, scanning back and forth to check for boulders, small trees or other obstructions hidden by the deep snow. If he perceived any threat he altered his course as little as necessary to avoid it, never sacrificing speed as his skis skimmed the snow beneath him. He was racing against the stopwatch in his mind.

A mile away, near the base of the mountain, a tall, muscular man in white snow camouflage stood shin-deep in the snow, sweeping the side of Hummel Peak with his binoculars. He was nearly six-five and in excellent physical shape, deeply tanned from hours on the slopes. He was bald as a mountaintop with a long, triangular face and pale, analytical eyes. His only insignia was the silver SS eagle on his cap. Suddenly he stopped and backtracked an inch or two. The skier was a mere speck streaking down the side of the mountain.

"There he is," he said. "About halfway down. Good God, he must be doing seventy miles an hour."

Vierhaus watched the speck as it plunged down the steep, clean side of the tall Dolomite peak, then raised his binoculars. Through the glasses, he watched the black-clad sportsman as he sped down the slope without veering, snow showering in his wake.

"I hope he does not injure himself," Vierhaus said.

"That will not happen," the tall SS officer said. "Swan will never injure himself. Swan will never have an accident. He would not permit it."

"You don't like him, do you, Ludwig?" Vierhaus said.

"There is not much to like or dislike, actually," Ludwig answered. "He is very much a loner, never joins us for a beer at night. He's civil to his teachers and the other students but that is as far as he goes. He is totally dedicated to perfection."

Ludwig lowered his glasses for a moment.

"On the other hand, he is quite the actor. He actually outwitted the entire staff three or four times by disguising himself."

"Is that so?" Vierhaus said.

Ludwig raised the glasses again.

"He can even be quite charming when he is not himself," Ludwig added.

Confident, unswerving, the skier reached the bottom of the steep slope and disappeared into the trees at the base.

"I must say, you have picked the perfect spot for this training facility. Why did you pick the Dolomites?"

"Mostly for the snow. The mountains are capped year-round. And it is isolated. Nobody blunders onto this camp. The people in Millstadt think we are a border station. Italy is only twenty or thirty kilometers from here."

"It seems a pleasant village."

"Very friendly and totally isolated."

"Tell me more about Swan," Vierhaus said.

"Best student I ever had," the tall SS trainer said. "A very smart man. You tell him a thing once and he has learned it. He has already mastered everything my five instructors and I have taught him."

"You think he is ready to leave?"

Ludwig pondered the question for a moment. Vierhaus had recruited the colonel from the SD, the intelligence department of the SS, where he was considered too tall to be an effective field agent. It was an unfortunate loss to the SD for Ludwig was one of the shrewdest men Vierhaus had ever met. He was an honor graduate from the university in Berlin and an excellent judge of character. Vierhaus had put him in charge of training-or eliminating-the agents Vierhaus recruited and Ludwig had devised a program which was both physically and mentally exhausting, designed to break the toughest of men.

"Perhaps," Ludwig said finally. "Perhaps a little longer. Just to make sure he's perfect. After all, we originally planned the course for one year. It has only been seven months."

"There is no rush," Vierhaus said. "Any task, understand Ludwig, any task! He must be at ease in any task. How about attitude?"

"Cold as an iceberg. Nothing bothers him. He survived three weeks alone in the mountains and we set him loose with nothing but his weapons. I honestly believe he gained weight out there."

"Weapons?"

"A remarkable marksman and he wields a knife like a circus performer. The Okinawan, Ashita, says Swan is the best jujitsu student he has ever had. The man has hands of iron."

"Will he kill if the time comes?"

"In the blink of an eye. He would kill his own mother if it were expedient."

"Interesting. And you think he will follow orders, this loner?"

"He will do whatever is necessary to complete his mission. Quite simply, he has turned himself into a machine."

"And those things you cannot teach a man?"

"He is sly, wily, quick, dangerous. An adroit liar. And like I said, quite an actor. He is just paranoid enough to be properly cautious. And as you can see, not only an expert skier, but absolutely fearless. Quite a find, Herr Professor."

"And the other one? Kraft?"

"He has his specialties. A quiet killer that one, but not as versatile as Swan. He is almost as good in some areas."

"How canny is he, Ludwig?"

"Canny? Not in a class with Swan. Let me give you an example. We had an exercise-to blow up a warehouse which was very heavily guarded. Three of the men were caught trying to invade the building but as far as we could tell, Swan never went near the place. Then he came to me and told me to get the guards out of the place, it was going to blow up. Two hours later, boom! It was gone. Pulverized!"

"How did he do it?"

"A rat bomb."

"Really?" Vierhaus said with surprise.

"You are familiar with the rat bomb?"

"I have heard of it," Vierhaus said after a moment.

"He crawled up the sewer line under the place and set the trap. He used Limburger cheese to make sure the rat would smell it. It worked like a charm."

"Do any of the other trainees show Swan's promise?"

Swan shot out of the thicket of pines at the foot of the mountain, leaning forward on bent knees to keep up his speed, moving soundlessly toward them.

"Nein. They are good, but not like this one coming here. I tell you, Professor, he is frighteningly efficient."

"Does he scare you, Ludwig?" Vierhaus asked casually.

Colonel Ludwig smiled and shook his head. "Nobody scares me, Professor, I am beyond that. No, I marvel at him. He was only here a week and I realized he could bypass desensitization training. My God, he could teach it! He is the perfect SD officer. What the Fhrer dreams of, this man is. "

"Would you like to go up against him?"

Ludwig stared quizzically at Vierhaus for a moment or two before he nodded slowly. "Ja. An interesting challenge. He has an uncanny ability to focus on a single objective, to make instant decisions based on knowledge, instinct and logic, and react immediately. Most men I know in this business operate on gut instinct. Logic rarely enters into it."

"Does he learn from his mistakes?"

"Swan does not make mistakes."

"What are his weaknesses, Ludwig?"

"His only weakness that I can determine is impatience. When he learns something he means to test himself immediately."

"Hmm. That could be a serious problem. This man may be undercover for years before he is activated."

"Then you will have to find other ways to keep him occupied. He has a taste for danger."

Vierhaus began to chuckle.

"Is something funny?" Ludwig asked.

"I was just thinking, wouldn't it be ironic if we have overtrained him."

"It isn't possible to be overtrained, Herr Professor," Ludwig said. "Kraft and the other three in training are excellent prospects but it would take two, three years for them to be in Swan's class and by that time God knows how good he would be."

"I congratulate you, Colonel," Vierhaus said, shaking the tall man's hand. "You are doing remarkable work here. So what is next?"

"A competition."

"A competition?"

"Yes. I am going to pit Swan against Kraft on a very difficult climb and race."

"Why?"

Ludwig shrugged. "Just to see who comes in first. To see how they react in a challenge situation, under actual stress. There are some things even training can't imitate. It should be quite revealing."

"But dangerous, Colonel, if your training is as good as I suspect, they could be too keen on winning. They might take unnecessary chances."

"I agree," Ludwig said with a smile. "But that is part of it, Professor, to test their judgment. It is not just winning, it is a test of their skill and their judgment. It will certainly be interesting, don't you think?"

"A bit diabolical."

"Oh yes."

"Do they know about this contest yet?"

"They never know anything in advance, Professor. Surprise is part of the training."

"I wonder if Swan suspects that Kraft is being trained as his backup."

"God knows what he suspects-or thinks."

Swan swept across the remaining half mile and cut sharply to a stop a foot in front of Vierhaus and Ludwig. His breath was even and unlabored as it curled from his lips. Ice caked the rims of his goggles and the collar of his jacket. He shoved the goggles up on his forehead and nodded. Vierhaus realized that he was seeing Swan, undisguised, for the first time. His straw-colored hair was long and uncut and he wore a full beard. His eyes were turquoise blue and as intense as a hawk's. He wore no hat. Small knots of melting ice glistened from his long locks and his facial hair.

Quite a handsome devil, Vierhaus thought to himself.

"Herr Professor, good to see you again. It has been a while."

"And you, Colonel Swan," Vierhaus answered, shaking his hand. "That was quite an impressive display."

"Ja. About a second and a half under my last speed, I should say."

Ludwig looked at his stopwatch. "Actually 1.2 seconds," he said and laughed. "If you go any faster, Swan, we'll have to supply you with wings."

"I thought perhaps we might have dinner tonight at my hotel, just the two of us," Vierhaus suggested.